Local and Regional Foods are a small but vitally important part of agriculture sales in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Local and Regional Food Systems Resource Guide is intended to help stakeholders navigate USDA...

Funding Sources for Food-Related Businesses includes sources of local, regional, and national finance opportunities that may be available to producers, distributors, food hubs, and food-related businesses. Initially informed by a list of funding...

In the seed market, promoting fair and vibrant competition involves considerations of intellectual property (IP) law, antitrust and other fair business practices law, and public investment in our food system. These are complex and often confusing...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is partnering with farmer-serving organizations, such as the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and its members to better reach and serve an increasingly diverse farmer and rancher constituency for...

This guide was created by the USDA in 2021 for community leaders and other local entities. The guide highlights four key assistance types necessary to building a stronger rural workforce: 1) Workforce development planning; 2) Infrastructure and...

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health and social distancing mandates caused unprecedented shifts and disruptions for Local and Regional Food Systems (LRFS). USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) along with the cooperating research...

More than 30 USDA grant and loan programs provide support and assistance for local and urban food producers and producer groups. These grant and loan programs may be grouped into several broad program categories, including marketing and promotion;...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is committed to supporting robust regional food economies across the food chain. This graphic is designed to be a guide for which programs are best suited for different parts of the supply chain.

Cities and towns across the country are undertaking new initiatives and strengthening current programs that support development and growth of local food systems while reinvesting in downtowns and existing neighborhoods. Strong interest from...

Local Food, Local Places helps communities create walkable, healthy, economically thriving downtowns and neighborhoods through the development of local food systems.

This directory provides an overview of various sources of financing that may be available to food hubs and other food-related businesses. This directory is a partial listing of what may be available across the United States; some examples may not be...

Debra Tropp from the USDA introduces a new publication from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and USDA entitled Harvesting Opportunities: The Power of Regional Food Systems Investments to...

The significant and transformative investments USDA has made in rural America since 2009 have strengthened our nation’s economy, our small towns and our rural communities. Today, two-thirds of rural counties have demonstrated job growth and...

This Toolkit reflects the intention of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to expand its current role as a technical assistance provider to food system practitioners, economic developers, and community stakeholders. This Toolkit is designed to...

The USDA Rural Development 2015 Progress Report details the tangible results across rural America that stemmed from investments by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Development team in local businesses, community infrastructure,...

This guide to HUD, DOT, EPA, and USDA programs highlights federal resources rural communities can use to promote economic competitiveness, protect healthy environments, and enhance quality of life.

The White House Rural Council and six federal agencies selected 26 communities to participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federal initiative providing direct technical support and expertise to community partners integrating local food systems...

One of the keys to rural prosperity is for rural communities to come together on a regional basis to develop a strategic plan for building a stronger economy. The USDA is helping to build a more prosperous rural America by providing financial...

The CDFI Fund‘s Capacity Building Initiative for Financing Healthy Food Options track was created to prepare community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to effectively deploy financial resources to healthy food projects benefitting...

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified 254 federal programs that provide services to support the business sector. This report highlights these programs and distinguishes them by agency and highlights the programs available. ...